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ENC-1101

ONLINE WRITING PORTFOLIO - ASSIGNMENT CHECKLIST

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

Students should carefully read the "Portfolio Overview and Guidelines" file (posted on the "Assignments" page) for important details about portfolio policies and grading. Below is a short list of key policies:

Assignments will be graded on a pass/fail basis. In other words, assignments will receive an "A" when they are completed and submitted on time. They will receive a "0" when they are not submitted on time. On occasion, an intermediate grade will be given when an assignment doesn't reflect enough effort or follow the instructions.
Portfolio assignments must be submitted on time. Assignments that are not submitted on time will receive a grade of zero. Late assignments will not be accepted.
There will be a universal “forgiveness policy” for two missing assignments (but no more) at the end of the term: A student’s two lowest portfolio grades will be removed.
This “assignment checklist” will be updated throughout the semester (usually every week), with detailed descriptions of (and due dates for) all of the required assignments. Students should access and review the “checklist” at the beginning of every week, in order to keep up-to-date with the required work.

Web Link to: Turnitin.com

Assignment List

1. (Due on or before Sun. 8/29 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Describe Yourself as a Writer (Diagnostic Essay)

In 500 words or more, describe how you view yourself as a writer. Some questions you may want to consider are:

• Do you usually like or dislike writing? Why?
• What kinds of reading and writing do you do outside of school?
• What is your opinion of your writing ability? What are your strengths? Your weaknesses?
• What do you hope to accomplish in this writing course?
• Are there any particular aspects of your writing ability you want more help with?

You are not limited to these questions and you may approach this essay in any way you like. But do remember that this is an essay, not a question and answer exercise. Pay attention to proper paragraphing, organization, purpose, audience, etc.

This assignment will not be graded.

If you encounter any problems posting the assignment, contact the Turnitin Help Center.

Remember, assignments cannot be submitted after the closing date/time.

2. (Due on or before Mon. 8/30 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Practice Peer Review/Response

Log on to Turnitin.com and complete a response/peer review of a classmate’s "Diagnostic Essay" ("Describe Yourself as a Writer ").

This is an informal, practice assignment. There is no length requirement. This assignment will not be graded.

3. (Due on or before Tuesday Aug. 31 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Open and Closed Forms

Read "Homeroom" and "Putting Our Brains on Hold." Based on your close reading of these two essays, and of pages 6 -11 in A&B, discuss the main differences between these essays. Which essay uses more closed form techniques? Which one uses open form? How do you know? What features in form and style do each have? Be sure to give examples from the text to back up your response. The details and examples you use will help to establish your ethos, your credibility as a close reader of these texts.

4. (Due on or before Thurs. Sept. 2 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Commentary on Two Excerpts from Charles Bukowski’s Ham on Rye

This assignment looks ahead to your essay assignment - an autobiographical narrative essay about an issue that you have experienced firsthand.

Read the two excerpts from Charles Bukowski’s Ham on Rye (see the link on the “Assignments" page).

After reading the excerpts, write a commentary describing Henry as he appears to you (in other words, his personality, his main character traits etc.), and the role that “literacy” (writing, reading) seems to play in his life.

Bring the excerpts and a copy of your commentary to class for discussion.

Length: 1 or 2 pages.

5. (Due on or before Fri. Sept. 3 at 11:00 P.M.,Turnitin.com)

Evaluation of Two Student Essays

Read two student essays - the essay “Berkeley Blues” in your textbook (pg. 620), and one of the student essays on the “Student Writing” page. (Choose one of the narrative essays on the left-hand side of the page.)

After reading the two essays, write an evaluation of each essay that 1) identifies the main issue, 2) identifies the writer’s viewpoint (message), and 3) describes your response (i.e. the essay’s relevance to you, if any) as a reader.

Elaborate on some specific strengths and weaknesses, addressing questions that are listed in the “Questions for Peer Review” in your textbook (pg. 118). Support your points with examples.

Length: 1 or 2 pages – approximately 250 words or more.

6. (Due on or before Sunday 9/5 at TBA 11:00 P.M.,Turnitin.com)

Generating Ideas for an Informal Narrative Essay (Pre-writing Activity)

The goal of this “pre-writing” assignment is to help you generate ideas for an informal essay about an issue that you have experienced firsthand. (See the essay assignment sheet for more information.)

Sometimes it can be hard to identify issues to write about when you think of your life in broad terms. For this pre-writing assignment, think about your life in the context of categories of experience and make a list (as extensive as possible) of issues that you have dealt with in each category.

The categories are as follows:

Literacy (issues related to writing, reading, books, language, communication)

General Education (issues related to teachers, school, going to school, home schooling – high school and before - including social issues like fitting in, belonging, adjusting etc.)

Employment/Jobs

Relationships (parents, family, friends, enemies, “significant others”/love interests, etc.)

Lifestyle and Identity

In preparing this assignment, read the section in your textbook titled “Generating and Exploring Ideas” (pages 116 – 117); the list of suggestions will help you recall meaningful issues. Focus on generating as many issues as you can.

As you review issues that you have listed, ask yourself if they lend themselves to an interesting story (narrative) – a story that readers will want to read and can learn something from.

Length: approximately 2 pages.

7. (Due on or before Tue. 9/7 at 11:00 P.M.,Turnitin.com)

Narrative Essay Proposal

Write a professionally-formatted proposal for your narrative essay in four parts:

• The Main Issue that your essay will explore.

• The Viewpoint or message that you intend to develop.

• Your Reason for Choosing the issue that you will write about. Elaborate on your “firsthand,” personal experience with the issue (go into details) and why you want to write about it. This section should be a minimum of 100 words.

• The Reader-Relevance that you think your essay will have – i.e. why readers would be interested, and more specifically, what you think your essay might be able to teach them.

Format the proposal in “business” style, rather than essay style – in other words, use separate section headings (numbered or bulleted, as above), block paragraphs and single-spacing. (These formatting instructions will be considered in the grading.)

8. (Due on or before Wed. 9/8 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Online Peer Review of a Classmate’s Essay Proposal

Access Turnitin.com and read a narrative essay proposal by one of your classmates.
After reading the proposal, give your classmate useful advice about his or her proposed essay.

9. (Due on or before Thurs. 9/9 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Informal Outline or “Storyboard” of Your Narrative

Read the “Tips for Your Narrative Essay” on the “Assignments and Course Contents” page. Then create an informal outline or “storyboard” of your essay, by identifying the key scenes that you will re-create in the narrative.

You can outline as many scenes as you think the essay will need (i.e. you may outline more than four, or less).

You can format the assignment any way that you like. However, make sure that the different scenes are separated and clearly labeled, and that they are presented in the order in which they will appear in your narrative (normally chronologically).

Length: approximately 2 pages.

10. (Due on or before Fri. 9/10 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Narrative Essay Opening

Compose a revised/draft of the opening of your narrative essay.

An effective opening should reflect the principles we covered in class - in other words:

1) Clearly project the central issue that the essay is about.

2) Launch a "story" in "real time" that dramatizes the issue and gets readers interested in reading the essay. In other words, strive to begin the narrative with an appropriate scene or incident, rather than a general explanation.

Length: approximately 1 or 2 pages.

11. (Due on or before Sun. 9/12 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Peer Review of a Classmate's Narrative Essay Opening

See Turnitin for questions.

12. (Due on or before Mon. 9/13 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Narrative Essay First Draft

Write a complete first draft of your narrative essay.

The draft should reflect the concepts and objectives stressed in class.

Make sure that your draft develops a well-defined central issue and stays focused on that issue.

Your chief goal is to take the reader into the reality of the issue by re-creating key events, incidents and conversations that allow the reader to evaluate your experience, decisions, choices and responses.

A generalized description or overview of the issue will not be effective or fulfill the goals of the assignment.

Important Grading Note:

Keep in mind that essay drafts are part of your portfolio, and as such, are graded for effort and development.

Therefore, the portfolio grade that you receive for a draft is not an indication of the grade you will receive on the final essay.

If you receive a low portfolio grade for a draft, because the draft is incomplete and under-developed, you may still earn a high grade on the finished essay by improving the deficiencies of the draft.

The opposite is also true: you may receive a high portfolio grade on a draft, because the draft reflects effort and is well-developed, but the essay grade may be significantly lower if you fail to polish, refine and improve the draft.

In short, different standards apply. Drafts, by definition, are subject to being improved, and almost always, require additional revision, polishing and editing.

Final essays are finished products that should reflect all of the assignment guidelines as well as professional editing and readability. The grade assigned to your final essay is intended to give you a fair, accurate and useful evaluation of how effectively you’ve completed the assignment.

Length: approximately 1000 words or more.

13. (Due on or before Tue. 9/14 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Peer Review of a Classmate's Narrative Essay - First Draft – Complete at least one peer review of a classmate’s essay draft in “Turnitin.”

Follow the guidelines in the checklist below. In the meantime, you should continue to revise (i.e. improve) your essay. Always consider incorporating feedback and suggestions that you receive in conferences and from peer reviews.

Make your peer-review responses detailed. Use specific examples to illustrate your points. Be honest, yet helpful and constructive:

1. ISSUE FEEDBACK. Does the central issue emerge clearly at the beginning of the essay? Is it conveyed in an interesting way? Does the issue remain clear and in focus as the essay develops?

Tell the writer exactly what you got out of the essay—what meaning you found in it.

2. POINTING. Point out specific parts of the essay that were effective for you and why. Also, point out specific parts that were not effective for you and why.

3. QUESTIONING. Ask the writer questions about his/her essay. What were you wondering about when you read this essay? Was anything unclear? What more do you want to know about the issue, the writer and his/her views?

4. WHAT’S MISSING? Are any of the questions that you posed above important to the meaning of the essay and “reader-relevance”? If so, what is missing from the essay that would make it more effective? Are there significant gaps in the narrative? Are there unstated assumptions that create confusion?

5. ADVICE. If you were writing this essay, how would it be different? How would you portray the issue differently?
As a demonstration rewrite the opening paragraph, or part of the opening paragraph, if you feel that it could be improved.

6. RELEVANCE OF THE VIEWPOINT OR MESSAGE. Evaluate the relevance of the viewpoint or message at the end of the essay. Does it seem well-connected to the details of the narrative? Is it enlightening, thought-provoking, etc. or too obvious and generalized (i.e. like a Hallmark Card)?

Do you agree with the message or do you have a different view?

When all is said and done, does the essay answer the “So What?” question – is it meaningful and worth reading?

14. (Due on or before Fri. 9/17 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Narrative Essay Revised Draft

Compose a well-developed, revised draft of your narrative essay.

The draft should improve the previous version of the essay and incorporated any constructive feedback that you have received.

As before, make sure that your draft develops a well-defined central issue and stays focused on that issue.

Your chief goal is to take the reader into the reality of the issue by re-creating key events, incidents and conversations that allow the reader to evaluate your experience, decisions, choices and responses.

A generalized description or overview of the issue will not be effective or fulfill the goals of the assignment.

Important Grading Note:

In short, different standards apply. Drafts, by definition, are subject to being improved, and almost always, require additional revision, polishing and editing.

Complete at least one peer review of a classmate’s revised essay in “Turnitin.”

Make your peer-review responses detailed. Use specific examples to illustrate your points. Be honest, yet helpful and constructive.

The narrative essay is due in class on Wed. Sept. 22 (printed out). Late penalties will be applied to essays submitted any time after class. Essays will not be accepted by email under any circumstances.

16. (Due on or before Sun. 9/26 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Responses to “Behind Stone Walls” and a “Job Essay” by an FIU Student (either “Librarian by Day” or “Fit for Your Trust,” both posted under “Student Writing” on the course web site)

Read the assignment sheet for your "Job/Career" Essay, and Chapter 7 in your textbook ("Writing an Informative Essay or Report"), pages 157 - 174.

Then read the essay “Behind Stone Walls” on page 182 of your textbook, and answer questions 1 through 4 under “Thinking Critically” (p. 184).

Also, read one of the FIU student essays about a job, career or business - “Librarian by Day” or “Fit for Your Trust” (both posted under “Student Writing” on the homepage of the course web) and answer the same four questions on page 184 of your textbook.

Bring a copy of your responses to class for discussion.

Length: approximately 1 or 2 pages.

17. (Due on or before Tue. 9/28 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Response to "Additional Readings" about Rosa Parks and Val Kilmer

Read the essays in your textbook titled "The Real Rosa Parks" (pg. 195) and "Crazy Things Seem Normal" (pg. 198), then complete the responses below:

1) List three or four important points that the author makes in "The Real Rosa Parks," then explain what you think is the main point of the essay, and why.

2) Focusing on the section of "Crazy Things Seem Normal" that deals with the "Christian Science" religion (pages 203 - 204), explain what you know about this religion (officially called "The Church of Christ, Scientist").

Do some online research to expand on your knowledge, and describe what you find out. Then, in a paragraph or two, discuss why and how this religion might be a good subject for an "informative essay with surprising reversal." In particular, what are some key questions, preconceptions or misconceptions that an essay about this religion could address?

Length: approximately 1 or 2 pages.

18. (Due on or before Wed. 9/29 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Proposal for an Essay about a Job, Career or Business

Write a professionally-formatted proposal for your “Essay about a Job, Career or Business.” Include the following parts:

1) The Job, Career or Business that you plan to write about. (Or the “academic subculture” if you have received the instructor’s permission to choose the optional assignment.)

2) The Issue that your essay will explore. Typically, the “issue” will be a preconception or set of preconceptions (misconceptions, stereotypes, etc.) about the job, career or business.

3) The “Surprising Thesis” (or Viewpoint) that your essay will support and develop. Normally, you will not know your thesis until you have conducted your “field research” (i.e. an interview and site observation).

Therefore, in this section, you might merely state that your essay will try to develop an “insider’s view” about the job (etc.). Or you can discuss the kind of “surprising information” you are looking for or expect to find.

4) Your Reasons for Choosing the Job, Career or Business that you plan to research and write about. What is the source of your interest? What do you already know about the job (etc.)? What do you not know and would like to find out?

5) Your Field Research. How do you plan to go about getting your information? Who will you interview? Will a “site visit” be relevant and possible?

Format the proposal in “business” style, rather than essay style – in other words, use separate section numbers and headings (as above), block paragraphs and single-spacing.

Length: approximately 2 pages.

19. (Due on or before Thurs. 9/30 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Peer Review of a Classmate's Proposal

Complete at least one peer review of a classmate’s essay proposal in Turnitin.com. (Note: you have the option to do more than one peer review; however, only one is required.)

1) Discuss what you know about the job, career or business. What preconceptions or assumptions do you have? What would you like to learn, and what would help make the essay relevant to you?

2) Offer some suggestions, if you can, about how the writer can get information for the essay – i.e. how would you go about getting information?

3) What would you like to learn from your classmate's essay? What would help make the essay relevant to you?

20. (Due on or before Fri. Oct. 1 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Assessing Your Audience

Read Chapter 1 "Thinking Rhetorically about Good Writing" - pp. 12 - 26 - in your textbook.

Answer the questions under "Strategies for Analyzing Audience" on pages 22 and 23.

Length: approximately 1 or 2 pages.

21. (Due on or before Sun. Oct. 3 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Job/Career Essay – Conceptualizing an Informational "Need to Know"

Write a reflective statement elaborating on any preconceptions, misconceptions, assumptions and stereotypes that you think apply to the job, career, business or organization (etc.) that will be the subject of your upcoming essay.

Discuss how and why these preconceptions (etc.) can create "a need to know" and get readers interested in your essay.

Before writing this assignment, it will be helpful to talk to at least one person (preferably more) about their preconceptions. Also, from a time-management standpoint, you should have started your field research by now - in other words, already begun, or at least scheduled, interviews and site observations.

Length: approximately 1 page.

22. (Due on or before Wed. 10/6 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Interview and Site-Visit Summaries

Your interview and site-visit summaries represent a crucial stage in the process of completing your essay. At this stage in the process, you should be finished with all, or most, of your research.

Write a summary of one or more interviews that you conducted for your “field” research.

If you have made a “site visit,” also write a summary of your visit and what you observed.

Conclude your summary/summaries by identifying “surprising” information that you can use as the basis of your essay.

23. (Due on or before Sun. 10/10 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

A Revised/Draft of Your Essay about a Job, Career or Business

Draft and revise your complete essay. Make sure that the opening is effective. It should present an interesting issue (usually in the form of preconceptions or misconceptions) and a “surprising thesis” that the essay will go on to develop and support.

Make sure the rest of the essay stays "on point" - in other words, that the essay is developing relevant information that supports your "surprising thesis" (and "inside story").

Important Grading Note:

Keep in mind that essay drafts are part of your portfolio, and as such, are graded mainly for effort and development.

Therefore, the portfolio grade that you receive for a draft is not an indication of the grade you will receive on the final essay. If you receive a low portfolio grade for a draft, because the draft is under-developed, you may still earn a high grade on the finished essay by improving the deficiencies of the draft.

The opposite is also true: you may receive a high portfolio grade on a draft, because the draft reflects effort and is well-developed, but the essay grade may be significantly lower if you fail to polish, refine and improve the draft.

In short, different standards apply. Drafts, by definition, are subject to being improved, and almost always, require additional revision, polishing and editing.

Online Peer Review – Complete a peer review of a classmate’s revised essay in “Turnitin.”

25. (Due on or before Thurs. 10/14 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

A Second Revised/Draft of Your Essay about a Job, Career or Business

Draft and revise your complete essay. Make sure that the opening is effective. It should present an interesting issue (usually in the form of preconceptions or misconceptions) and a “surprising thesis” that the essay will go on to develop and support.

Make sure the rest of the essay stays "on point" - in other words, that the essay is developing relevant information that supports your "surprising thesis" (and "inside story").

Important Grading Note:

In short, different standards apply. Drafts, by definition, are subject to being improved, and almost always, require additional revision, polishing and editing.

Online Peer Review – Complete at least one peer review of a classmate’s second revised essay in “Turnitin.”

The final, paper version of the essay will be due in class on TBA (the tentative due date is Mon. Oct. 18). Late penalties will apply.

The course web site has moved to Moodle as of Sun. Oct. 17.
Please go to ecampus.fiu.edu to log on to the new course web site.

27. (Due on or before Tue. 10/19 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Three Researchable Issues Related to Your Life

(Note: to complete this assignment effectively, it is important that you have read pages 207 to 233 in the textbook - i.e., the chapter titled "Writing a Classical Argument.")

This exercise is designed to stimulate ideas for your upcoming researched-argument essay.

Identify and describe three issues, activities or problems in your life that you have strong feelings about and/or concerns, or that evoke controversy.

Evaluate the possibility of writing a researched-argument essay based on each of the three issues. Do you have a point of view that is worthy of research and support? What are some relevant questions you could ask and research? How do you think research would help you grasp the issue better and enlighten readers?

What information, knowledge and perspectives would you seek? Would you rely on secondary (library) research or could "field research" be useful as well?

To get started on this assignment, go back and review what you wrote for portfolio assignment number 16, "Generating Ideas for an Informal Narrative Essay."

Look over the issues that you listed in some of the "categories of experience" and choose three issues that you feel would lend themselves to a meaningful researched argument. You also can brainstorm new issues that you have strong feelings or concerns about, or that evoke controversy.

General Education
Employment/Jobs
Relationships
Lifestyle and Identity

Length: approximately 2 pages or more.

28. (Due on or before Thurs. 10/21 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Writing Exercise: Thinking Critically about "The Case for (Gay) Marriage"

Read the essay "The Case for (Gay) Marriage" by A. J. Chavez on pages 249 to 253. Then answer questions 1 through 5 on pages 253-254 under the heading "Thinking Critically."

29. (Due on or before Sun. 10/24 at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Generating and Exploring Ideas for Your Researched Essay

To complete this assignment go to pages 229 - 230 in your textbook and follow the instructions under "Strategies for Finding an Arguable Issue."

If you put time and thought into this assignment, it will help you make a final decision about an issue that you will write your researched-argument essay about.

Your goal is to identify issues that you have a connection to, that you know something about - especially issues related to "communities" that you belong to or areas of your lifestyle or identity.

As in the essay "Paintball," stereotyping, unfair criticism and/or false assumptions will often form the basis of an issue. The goal of your writing and research will be to address opposing views, develop arguments and present evidence to support a convincing point of view.

Length: approximately 2 pages or more.

PROVISIONAL UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS (Subject to change):

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Researched Essay Proposal

Write a proposal for your researched-argument essay in business format using the following sections and headings:

1) The Central Issue (question or problem) that you will research and address.

2) The Thesis or Main Argument that you intend to support.

If you are not sure of your thesis at this time, specify the question that you want the paper to answer.

3) Reasons for Selecting the Issue (Question or Problem) and What You Know about It.

Elaborate on your interest in the issue, and your personal connection to it. Why is the issue relevant to you? Why do you think it can or should be relevant to your readers?

(Note that this is a crucial part of your proposal. Discuss your reasons and the relevance of the issue in detail.)

4) Sources

Give a preliminary list of the sources you intend to use—books, journals, magazines, etc. Consider possible primary sources (in particular, people you might talk to or interview).

Use correct MLA format. If the source is available online, include the URL after the other, relevant information. Beneath each source, write a short statement summarizing the material and your assessment of the source’s reliability, credibility, angle of vision. Ask yourself: is this source making an argument or merely providing objective information?

To complete this section (Section 4) effectively, you will need to review the “MLA Documentation” chapter in your “Everyday Writer” handbook and spend some time in the library.

Bring a paper copy of the proposal to class for discussion.

Length: approximately 2 pages.

(Due on TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Peer Review of a Classmate’s Essay Proposal:

Complete at least one peer review of a classmate's essay proposal.

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

An In-Depth Exploration of Your Researched Argument Issue:

To complete this assignment, go to pages 230 - 231 in your textbook. Answer the eight questions about the issue that you plan to address in your researched argument essay.

This assignment will take time and effort to complete, but will help you plan your essay effectively and define what you will accomplish by writing it.

Length: 2 pages or more.

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

A Draft of the Introduction of Your Researched Essay:

Using the research that you have done so far, along with your personal knowledge of the issue that you are writing about, write a draft of your essay’s introduction.

Your main objective is to present the central issue that your essay will address, and make it as interesting and compelling as possible for your readers.

You also should include a preliminary thesis. Since you probably have not concluded your research, your preliminary thesis is subject to change or refinement. At this stage, your thesis can simply be the central question that your essay will attempt to answer or the argument that you plan to support.

See the file titled "Drafting the Introduction of a Researched Essay" (on the course web site) for more advice and guidelines.

Keep in mind that, as you proceed with your research, you will revise and improve the introduction and refine your thesis. In the meantime, the draft of the introduction will serve as a useful blueprint for your essay.

Your focus for the time being should be on doing your research and learning as much as you possibly can about the issue or problem that your essay is addressing.

You will need to have done significant research in order to complete an important, upcoming assignment - a working bibliography.

Length: approximately 1 or 2 paragraphs or 1 page.

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

A Working Bibliography for Your Researched Essay

The "bibliography" should list all the sources you currently are using (or intend to use) for your essay. You should have a minimum of five or six sources at this point: for example, a book, two or three magazine or journal articles, one or two media or new media sources (a documentary or podcast), and one or two primary sources (a person or persons you have interviewed or plan to interview, or a survey who plan to distribute).

Your bibliography should be correctly alphabetized (by author, etc.) and follow MLA formatting guidelines.

You will find detailed instructions in your "Everyday Writer" handbook (In addition, Chapter 23 in your textbook, "Citing and Documenting Sources, on page 701, also will be helpful.)

Below are some additional, online resources that may be helpful.

Bedford Bibliographer: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/bbibliographer/default.asp?uid=0&rau=0

Citation Machine: http://citationmachine.net/

The Bedford Research Room: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/researchroom/index.asp

Keep in mind that your final essay will require a “Works Cited” list, rather than a bibliography. It is important to know the difference between the two. Final essays that are submitted with a bibliography rather than a “Works Cited” list (or with a list that is not formatted according to MLA guidelines) will lose grade points.

Make two copies of the bibliography, one to turn in, the other for your portfolio.

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Create an Informal Outline for Your Researched Essay

Read the files on the "Assignments" page titled "Advice for Organizing a Researched Essay/Paper" and "Example of an Informal Outline for a Researched Essay."

After reading the files, create an informal outline of your own paper. Make the outline as extensive and detailed as you can.

Note: to complete this assignment effectively, you will need to have begun your research in earnest and made significant headway.

Length: approximately 1 or 2 pages.

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

A Completed Draft of Your Researched Essay

Compose a well-developed draft of your researched essay.

Make sure that you review and incorporate the assignment guidelines, as well the advice on organizing and drafting the essay (see the relevant files on the "Assignments and Course Content" page).

Your draft should identify all of the sources that you use in your text, and include a current, correctly formatted "Works Cited" list at the end.

Length: a minimum of 4 to 5 pages (1000 - 1300 words).

(Due on TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Peer Review of a Classmate's Researched Essay Draft

Complete at least one peer review of a classmate’s revised essay in “Turnitin.”

Make your peer-review responses detailed. Use specific examples to illustrate your points. Be honest, yet helpful and constructive.

(Due on or before TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

A revised draft of your researched essay:

Complete a well-developed, revised and polished draft of your researched essay and post it in Turnitin. The draft should include internal identification of all sources and a correct "works cited" list at the end. Consult your Everyday Writer handbook for information. Below are some additional resources.

Bedford Bibliographer: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/bbibliographer/default.asp?uid=0&rau=0

Citation Machine: http://citationmachine.net/

The Bedford Research Room: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/researchroom/index.asp

Length: 5 pages or more.

(Due on TBA at 11:00 P.M., Turnitin.com)

Peer Review of a Classmate's Revised Draft of the Researched Essay

Complete at least one peer review of a classmate’s revised essay in “Turnitin.”

Make your peer-review responses detailed. Use specific examples to illustrate your points. Be honest, yet helpful and constructive.

Final due date for the researched essay : TBA. Late penalties will apply.

(Due on TBA Turnitin.com)

Preparing for an In-class Essay Exam

This will be your final portfolio assignment.

In order to complete the assignment effectively, you should read Chapter 9 in your textbook ("Essay Examinations: Writing Well Under Pressure") pages 277 to 289.

After doing the reading, assume that your final exam for ENC-1101 will be to write an in-class essay that explores and evaluates your learning experience in the course.

Your portfolio assignment is to prepare for this essay exam by reflecting on the course and writing a narrative that goes into details about your experience in the course - what you learned and to what extent you made progress.

Length: approximately 2 pages.

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